Judith Rafferty Joe Midgett, Coordinator, Action Conservation, Inc. In its two years of operation the credit union has loaned out over $500,000. “Most of our loans are of the need type," says board member Geri Ethen. The greatest number of them are for emergency uses like car repairs, home repairs, moving expenses and past due bills. In dollars, most loans are for automobile purchases. Interest on loans is 12 to 18 percent. Because the Northwest Credit Union is a community development credit union, one of its highest priorities is to give loans that promote economic development in the Northwest community. Two of their biggest loans, according to Ethen, "were absolutely essential to a couple of superb neighborhood improvements." One loan helped a local food co-op build a permanent store and the other was used to convert an old community hall into a combination commercial/residential building that has space for both offices and apartments. Despite its successes, the credit union is still struggling. Dividends have been small and infrequent. To remedy that, the credit union has been conducting a major drive to raise the level of shares (deposits) from $240,000 to $535,000. If these efforts are successful, the credit union should be able to offer higher dividends and will be able to continue serving the community's needs. Action Conservation Inc. 726-A S.E. 20th Portland, OR 97214 503/239-4766 When President Reagan called for private initiative to provide social services, one Portland service agency decided to take up the challenge. The result was the creation of Action Conservation, Inc., a weatherization company that operates for a profit but is owned by the community and endowed with a healthy social conscience. ACI used to be the low-income weatherization program operated by Portland Action Committees Together (PACT), a community action agency serving Southeast Portland. For three years they had been using Department of Energy funds to weatherize low-in- come households free of charge. But in May 1981, PACT boldly converted the weatherization group to a wholly owned subsidiary that operates as a private company. The same people work there, using the same trucks and the same materials—only now they have two goals: to provide low-cost weatherization to the community and to make a profit. ACI still does low-income weatheriza- tions for DOE, but now they contract for private jobs as well. "The ideal scenario," says Joe Midgett, program coordinator, "is one in which we do so well in the private sector that we could stop depending on DOE funds and, instead, use our profits to subsidize our low-income weatherizations." That's an ambitious goal that is still far from realization, but ACI is off to a good start. Three years of experience and the low overhead that comes from their relationship to PACT put the company in a good position to offer quality services at a very competitive price. Midgett estimates that ACI is 15 to 30 percent cheaper than other private contractors in town, and they provide a full range of services—insulating, installing storm windows, caulking and weatherstrip- ping. According to Midgett, the summer is the worst time for weatherization companies—on average, one contractor folds each week. The fact that ACI managed to survive their first summer in good shape bodes well for the future. THE CRIB 4815 N.E. 7th Portland, OR 97211 503/249-8501 "Money isn't what makes a community group work," says Linda Johnson. A good example of that philosophy is THE CRIB, a predominantly black Northeast Portland group she directs. THE CRIB stands for Total Home Environment, Creative Recreation and Instructional Buildings. The list of their activities is nearly as long as their name. THE CRIB has programs to tutor school children, teach literacy to adults, assist parents in dealing with the school system, distribute donated food to families in need, counsel tenants on their legal rights and organize a Saturday marketplace twice monthly during the summer. The common thread running through all their programs is devotion to a community service model that depends more on people and community resources than on outside funding. Linda herself is a full-time volunteer, as are all other adult staff members. "Ten fulltime volunteers," she exclaims. "No other group operates like that." THE crib's first, and still most important, activity is summer and after-school tutoring of grade-school students. The program has grown to several hundred participants and is staffed by CETA-paid teenagers under adult supervision. Tutors work with the students in groups, reinforcing what 76
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy NTc4NTAz